Saturday, October 1, 2011

Terra Nova - TV review

Terra Nova is the new family science fiction series on Fox. You must keep this in mind when you watch this series. Stephen Spielberg helped with show that's filmed in Australia. The story set in the future, yet the family goes back in time 85 million years because earth is losing all its fresh air and is over-populated.

The fierce colony leader played by Stephan Lang

So the Shannon family go back in time to a colony right in the middle of the dinosaurs. Of course, the Shannons didn't get there that easily. One strike against them is having three children. They were only suppose to have two. The father even went to jail when the police found the third child. What's not been told is what happened to the little girl after the police found her. Did the mother somehow keep her secret still..all that time? Confusing. Aside from that..it jumps even more into the future when their doctor mom plans for them to go back in time where many others are going on this trip, as well who qualify through a lottery. All we know, the family gets there.

The show is where Avitar meets Jurassic Park. The father who used to be "policeman" gone prisoner is a lot like the main character of Avitar. Jason O'Hara stars as Jim, who's been in prison and hasn't seen his doctor wife in five years, played by Shelly Con. I was sort of hoping for a better reunion for the couple, but still it did have a feel of what many military wives have told about having..when her husband comes back home after being away for what seems years. Its not instant romance.

There is a bit of a casting problem. As Shelly Con is of Indian descent (which is great and she's great for the part.) The daughters, played by Naomi Scott and Alana Mansour are also half Indian in reality, but there is the oldest son Josh (the typical thorn in your side teenager) played by Landon Liboiran who isn't of any Indian descent. This doesn't bother many fans, especially his fans, but it would be nice to work that in to the story. Maybe he's a son from some other marriage or time before their Dad married the doctor. I hope they'll squeeze that in, because it would make more practical as to why the son wants to defy is dad.

it was cool how Josy walked into the time travel light (gives a whole new meaning to traveling light)

The show if fast paced. Special effects are nice enough. There are dinosaurs, of course. In spite of the hustle and bustle of action, it still could be tweaked of why these things happen in the first place. Perhaps its the writing. The show is not perfect. If you love sci-fi..it make take a few episodes to get into this fantasy.

Hopefully, we will fall in love with the characters on the show. Because special effects can only take the show so far. I keep hoping they run into a cave man or two instead of a gang called the 'sixers' who left the colony and are on their own..out there somewhere.

Also, I hope the writers remember about the Apocalypse that wiped out the dinosaurs.

STORYLINE: Centers on the Shannons, an ordinary family from 2149 when the planet is dying who are transported back 85 million years to prehistoric Earth where they join Terra Nova, a colony of humans with a second chance to build a civilization.